Title: Adjunct Faculty Member
Company: Marquette University
Location: Orr, Minnesota, United States
Bruce A. Peterson, Adjunct Faculty at Marquette University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in English and Rhetoric.
With a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in higher education, Mr. Peterson is celebrated for his expertise in rhetoric and his commitment to student engagement. Since 2025, he has served as an adjunct faculty member in the English department at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he teaches two courses in English writing remotely to students in Beijing, China.
Leveraging his distinguished tenure in education, Mr. Peterson notably retired as residential faculty from the department of communication at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, where he contributed for over 20 years. His tenure on campus was marked by significant milestones, including serving as the department chair for three years and playing a pivotal role in launching the Red Mountain Campus in 2001, where he dedicated most of his time to teaching students, focusing on history and dual credit college courses for high school seniors. Mr. Peterson also developed a curriculum in 2021. Earlier, he taught as an adjunct professor of speech and history from 1996 to 1999. During his tenure, he found particular fulfillment working with at-risk Navajo and Apache students.
Among other academic roles that were instrumental throughout Mr. Peterson’s career was serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant at Arizona State University in Tempe between 1996 and 1999. He then became an instructor of communication and history at South Texas College in McAllen during 1996 and an adjunct professor of communication and history at his alma mater, the University of Texas Pan-American (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) in South Padre Island, from 1993 to 1996.
Outside of academia, Mr. Peterson led a diverse career in entrepreneurship, religious services and other areas. In the early 1970s, he became the owner of Peterson Concrete & Fireplace, which he maintained for over five years. He also owned and operated Valhalla Mobile Home Park & Valhalla Masonry from 1981 to 1985. Mr. Peterson was an associate pastor at Abundant Grace Community Church of God of the Apostolic Faith Inc. for nearly a decade, starting in 1985, a chaplain for the Texas Youth Commission, Beta House, between 1986 and 1989, and an associate director and consultant for The Rock Outreach of the Valley from 1990 to 1995. Additionally, he worked for PaineWebber & Co. as a senior project specialist between 1999 and 2000 and as a consultant historian, webmaster and GIS cartographer for Flying B Ranch for over 15 years, from 1999 to 2016.
In preparation for his career, Mr. Peterson earned a Bachelor of Arts in history, with honors, from the University of Texas Pan-American in 1993. He then received a Master of Arts in speech communication on campus in 1995, followed by a Master of Arts in history in 1996. Furthermore, Mr. Peterson pursued doctoral studies in history at Arizona State University, reaching All But Dissertation status by 2001. His professional certifications include an ordination certificate from Abundant Grace Community Church of God of the Apostolic Faith Inc., an instructional technologies certificate from Mesa Community College, a teaching certificate for Arizona community colleges, and recognition as a GIS specialist and cartographer through Esri ArcGIS.
Maintaining numerous professional affiliations, Mr. Peterson is a member of the MCCCD Faculty Association, the Western History Association, H-NET, the Society for Environmental History and the National Communication Association. His civic engagement includes serving as the faculty senate president at Mesa Community College, membership in organizations such as the Elks and Loyal Order of Moose, lifelong involvement with Abundant Grace Community Church of God of the Apostolic Faith Inc., serving as ordained elder emeritus and trustee both there and with The Rock. Previously, Mr. Peterson was active as a volunteer firefighter for 10 years, beginning as a smoke chaser before advancing to an initial attack fire boss. Inspired by his father’s service as fire chief, he dedicated himself to public safety alongside his academic pursuits.
Among Mr. Peterson’s proudest professional achievements was being selected as the department chair at Mesa Community College after tying in an election with a longstanding incumbent. The administration chose him for his ability to bridge divisions within the faculty, a testament to his leadership and communication skills. Mr. Peterson also led the Circlestone Ruin GIS Map Set and Research Project in 2006, guiding students in mapping a significant medicine wheel in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains using advanced GIS technology.
Mr. Peterson’s scholarly output is prolific and includes maintaining an active blog and developing YouTube vlogs on history, biblical topics and personal reflections, including “Voices from the White Pine Forest” in 2025. Early in his career, he contributed newspaper columns titled ‘Voice in the Wilderness’ for The Pan American between 1991 and 1993. He also produced various articles on stone circles and medicine wheels over two decades. Furthermore, Mr. Peterson has authored and co-authored various works via the Cochise County Historical Society, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Philosophical Collaborations, and The Gallery, and presented “Sky Island Righteousness Above a Desert of Sin” at the Arizona Historical Society Conference in 1999.
Recognizing his contributions, Mr. Peterson received several grants between 1994 and 2006. He also received a Foster Care Award and a Kaleidoscope Award for Innovative Teaching. Mr. Peterson attributes his success to formative life experiences and to his father’s influence. After relocating to South Texas for church construction projects, he recognized education’s transformative power, prompting further study that shaped his academic path. Faith has also been central throughout Mr. Peterson’s journey.
Looking ahead, Mr. Peterson remains passionate about teaching, planning to continue instructing courses that explore the relationship between grace and law while building meaningful connections with students across diverse backgrounds. He also intends to pursue further academic growth through doctoral studies focused on artificial intelligence within communication disciplines.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Mr. Peterson: